SUBIC BAY FREEPORT - With a 37 percent surge in tourist arrivals from China last year, this premier Freeport is poised to become a major gateway that would have direct flights between the two countries after the Chinese government granted the Philippines its "Approval Destination Status." Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Armand Arreza stated that officials of Shijiazhuang and Taizhou cities including a municipality in Southern China have already expressed support for direct flights to Subic. The expected influx of tourists from the People's Republic of China (PRoC) means big business for this freeport and that of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark Freeport, just 35-45 minutes drive away via the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx). "We are now promoting Subic and Clark as one destination," Arreza said. Citing the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) projections, Arreza said over than five million foreign visitors may come to the Philippines this year and that a significant number of them will pass through or stay in Subic and Clark.
